RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside men's basketball was picked to finish fifth in the 2022-23 Big West Men's Basketball season, announced as part of The Big West Men's Basketball Preview Show on Wednesday. Senior guard Zyon Pullin was named Preseason All-Big West. 

The full poll and Preseason All-Big West Team is below. 

Already a two-time All-Big West selection, Pullin enters his senior season fresh off 117 assists last year that ranked third on the program's Division I single-season list. The Pleasant Hill native averaged 4.5 and 4.3 assists per game in his sophomore and junior campaigns, respectively, the top two assist averages in UCR Division I history. 

UCR finished with 56 points in Wednesday's preseason poll, two ahead of UC Davis and three ahead of Cal State Fullerton, who the Highlanders defeated on ESPNU last year at Titan Gym. Four UC Riverside contests this year have been selected as potential wildcard matchups for ESPNU once again, including two at the newly revamped SRC Arena. 

UC Riverside begins its 22nd season in Division I on Friday, October 28 when the Highlanders host CSU Dominguez Hills for an exhibition tune-up at the SRC Arena at 6:00 p.m. UCR tips off the regular season on Monday, November 7 at Colorado on Pac-12 Networks. Highlander fans will remember last year's early-season matchup at Pac-12 Arizona State that ended with an emphatic 75-foot buzzer beater. 

Tickets for next Friday and all UC Riverside home men's and women's basketball games are available now at https://highlanderstickets.universitytickets.com. 

2022-23 Big West Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll